Bringing Virtual Production to Doctor Who | Behind the Scenes | Boom | Doctor Who

[@jcrossan1351]

Now that’s pretty cool how they’re able to actively change the background on set rather than in post production

[@jameshurcombe2049]

It's been done since 2018 it's called the volume

[@jcrossan1351]

@@jameshurcombe2049 I know what the volume is I’m an avid fan of the mandalorian I just didn’t realise now interactive it was whilst recording I just assumed it was an easier way for actors interacting instead of a green/blue screen. Can’t believe volume has existed since 2018 though

[@LianSchwarz]

@@jcrossan1351 Filming of The Mandalorian Season 1 began in October 2018 and the Stagecraft Technology was invented a short time before that.

[@jcrossan1351]

@@LianSchwarz thanks for the info for some reason I thought they filmed and released the first season in 2019

[@Agills-Photography]

It's mostly for reference, colour, and light spillage, it's meant to be replaced in post with an actual render of almost exactly the same scene. What you see in the show is not what's exactly in camera, but almost exactly the same. They take the data for the virtual camera that replicates the irl camera and you can literally just comp it in. No problem. All this said, this might actually just be in camera, these screens are getting so good, the BTS footage looked amazing here. That's just the process for the mandos virtual production

[@PapaLuge]

Nice to give people like this who are behind the camera a chance to show how they make the show so great, It's what i appreciated about confidential

[@SweptDust5340]

yeah i wish unleashed had stuck true to the original confidential series

[@dwfan91-]

One of the most impressive Doctor Who episodes technically, great job to everyone who worked on it!

[@pottboy3544]

hey its the goat himself

[@guy3854]

its amazing to me how much work goes into each episode during the production

[@lbricks7631]

I know right!

[@shemdellashemygd29]

Yep amazing episode. Well done to the crew on space babies and devils chord also.

[@everettrailfan]

no way guys, it's THE 91st fan of doctor who!

[@swiftbird4846]

The potential of this technology is simply fantastic.

[@Movielad76]

Unreal Engine and VP has made a HUGE difference to TV production of late. Great to see it finally being used by Doctor Who. As somebody who has worked in film and TV VFX *and* the gaming industry - the tools being used by both are blurring together. Little difference these days.

[@NightShinerStudio]

What's the full name of VP?

[@rudrasingh6354]

​@@NightShinerStudio Virtual Production

[@NightShinerStudio]

@@rudrasingh6354 ohhhhhh I'm stupid. I missed that in the title. Thank you!

[@Tejiknasten]

These guys, bringing my family's favourite TV show to life, are worth full respect. They're doing such a fantastic work. Thanks from all of us!

[@kylemccrory8509]

Couldn’t have said it better.

[@isaacthewebcomiccreator9750]

Honestly, this is almost as awesome as anything that Lucasfilm would normally use for Star Wars. Definitive proof that Doctor Who is pretty epic.

[@StartledOctopus]

Pretty sure this is the same tech they used on Mando!

[@dusty2366]

It's like a much more high-tech version of the photographic wallpaper print backgrounds they used in the 60s, I love that

[@DavidConant]

This was an absolutely wholesome behind the scenes look at the Volume. More of this please.

[@Exit911YT]

I've always liked seeing the behind the scenes of different episodes of this show just to see how it is all really done.

[@CicadaCarson]

That's some seriously impressive tech... Must take a lot of hands to make a show like this! Thank you to everyone involved, this season is great!

[@AkiraNasuki]

Basically the Disney money and using the Mando tech from star wars

[@heartofdawn2341]

It's better for the actors too as they can really get a sense of the world they are in rather than just having to imagine it

[@silvermoon442]

LEDs are SO COOL!! Honestly creating a new era of special effects.

[@BeyondBaito]

We've upgraded from gravel pits and fog machines

[@N-o-B-o-D-y190]

Not only is the volume being used in DW in general amazing but BOOM had probably one the best uses of it.

[@Craigy2818]

Damn, they're using the volume on Doctor Who, too? So cool.

[@prosecutorwalton]

Volume lite on Disney money, lets go!

[@Craigy2818]

@@prosecutorwalton It's much the same as the normal volume but smaller but works the same way.

[@WhoDoctor-u2e]

Even the stuff behind the scenes that we never see is cool. So different from when Christopher and David were the Doctor. Nice work. 🌟

[@claytabulusshogun]

Someone on Twitter said it about how scary it is now that Doctor Who went from going to a quarry to pretend they're in a new planet to creating their own quarry lol.

[@AlexLefevreArt]

I saw that, if you know where to look it's easy to see when the practical stops and the virtual starts. It's not yet to the level of the best CGI, but in 5 years if will become indistinguishable

[@Matthistory07]

Fascinating! My favourite show has never looked so good!

[@Harvey_Glassman]

Loving all these behind the scenes snippets! Fantastic! ❤

[@simontchang]

As with Star Wars, I’m honestly surprised this works as well as it does given it’s a fancier version of the old “rear projection” technique where filmmakers would just film actors in cars against a moving background pretending to drive.

[@johnclay7644]

concise SFX behind the scenes

[@samthescotsman]

that's freakin awesome. you should show more technical stuff like this

[@TARDISTunnel]

This is where the Disney money has gone, and it looks utterly fantastic!!

[@mwd5001]

Loving the visuals in the new series, stories are a bit basic and overacted but the music and FX are stunning.

[@tom_4615]

VP always looks banging, so happy to see it come to dr who

[@markblow9871]

I bet the old crew from the whole of the classic era of Doctor Who are envious of the special effects it now gets.

[@lbricks7631]

Doctor Who has never looked this good, season 11 was very cinematic, but the tones were often too muted.

[@ThomasJH268]

what they could have done, if this technology had been available during the 1963-1989 run

[@akshaytrayner1960]

Billy brooks worked on the mandolorian

[@emchamberlain]

Incredible tech

[@KillahMate]

Doctor Who is absolutely the single best TV show to use virtual production on - so happy to finally see it being incorporated!

[@kashiichan]

This is incredible.

[@Lumibear.]

Well that’s a tad better than a gravel pit in Wales!

[@Nyxtrous]

AR walls are fascinating new tech that are revolutionising the film and television industry. The (now unfortunately cancelled) series 1899 used the Volume and it blew my mind.

[@traceybradbury5022]

Loved it ❤

[@hanlee3345]

Switching to Disney was a step in the right direction! They were able to produce so much in such little time(compared to previous years)

[@Craiy]

Id be very interested to see how the bigger on the inside effect is created, because it does look amazing in recent episodes. Are exterior tardis scenes always vr? I cant imagine how tedious it would be to always calculate the exact angle, even in movement to create this effect in post production

[@Motion_Brick]

As a Star Wars Fan it isnt somthing new for me, but cool that Doctor Who use it too now!

[@엔도르]

this is happening in drama... fantastic! absolutely fantastic!

[@SumareProductions]

So glad Doctor Who has this technology now! The show gets better and better. Loved it in the 80’s, love it more now lol. Thank you for these BTS technical clips 🥰 amazing! People screaming woke?! Why are you here?! Go and find things u do like and leave - no need to keep watching and commenting here lol GAL!

[@TreyMcDonaldAnimator]

Disney money. LOL seriously though the evolution of tech for these visuals is insane.

[@Mediaright]

More like Sony money. Disney just streams it.

[@Slask7]

To think how the 2005 series was filmed back then, and now this 😅

[@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369]

Oh there's a volume now, hopefully it doesnt feel flat like Mando, but Im expecting they'll know when to use it

[@livingcoffee_edits]

Mando didn't feal "empty" at all

[@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369]

@@livingcoffee_edits sorry, yeah not that empty but I wouldn't say not at all, more accurately a little flat, because it literally was

[@whophd]

I dunno. They need to inlay characters to the video and have them run towards the camera or something. I think if the storyboard was just written without knowing the technology, and THEN the directors had to craft a way to shoot it, they’d be forced into more realism.

[@shemdellashemygd29]

They've confirmed they only use it when necessary

[@TimGildersleeve]

Fun fact: R2-D2’s jets are called the “Brooks Propulsion Devices” because Billy designed them for Episode 2.

[@jennaperkin]

I love seeing unreal engine used more in film and tv

[@inquerion8867]

Now not only every game will look the same, but also every TV show...

[@SG20three]

Amazing tech! Looked seamless on TV. Wonder if it can it be scaled up even bigger... more screens?

[@MinistryOfGeeks]

They also used the same tech on Mandalorian (I think it might have been the first use if this tech) and it was a little larger and taller. I beleive these panels can just be added to almost indefinitely, and as they use Unreal Engine for the scenery (Which is a videogame engine) it should have no problems even doing a full 360 set

[@jmcfar03]

@@MinistryOfGeeks also used it on the batman - great technology during the pandemic

[@amyisreallybored]

wow this is... unreal 🤐

[@robeagleR]

Disney Money has done goooooood, Hope you still go to actual Onsite locations though!

[@iandeeley9033]

STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS has the same type of technology, although they call it a "Holodeck!"

[@TomGallagherSuperboyBeyond]

Yeah, Disney use their version for Star Wars shows too, but Strange New Worlds uses the tech in a really great way that Star Wars just doesn't, with their boring samey environments. I'm so glad Doctor Who's looks more like SNW's. Just gorgeous looking environments with practical elements along with it. Rather than just sand. Do think the tech needs a bit of work when The Doctor was running. But they'll get there.

[@IggyStardust1967]

Well, now we know how the BBC got in bed with Disney.... using the same tech that ILM has been using for the last 6 years. Don't get me wrong, I think it's brilliant, and a good thing for the actors. Just give some credit to those who actually created the tech in the first place.

[@RRR3000gaming]

They're using Unreal Engine. Epic Games/Unreal Engine created this Virtual Production tech. Disney/ILM have StageCraft, which is based on Unreal as well, but is an offshoot incorporating Disney-specific features.

[@dahliareality]

"virtual production" has existed in the late 1930's back then it was just rear screen projection technology. We've just upgraded to LED panels with tracking and realtime engines within the last decade.

[@SpudHead42]

What resolution is it running at and what are the PC specs???

[@HOTD108_]

It's at least 4K

[@bandersnatch9469]

2:06 Is that the Meep's ship?

[@therave1635]

It would be better without the cgi smoke. It was noticeably bad. But the set was amazingly done.

[@shemdellashemygd29]

What cgi smoke......

[@therave1635]

@@shemdellashemygd29 it's literally the first thing you see when you click the video.

[@therave1635]

​@@shemdellashemygd29 also the first thing you see in the episode.

[@Kryojenix]

Unreal engine?

[@shemdellashemygd29]

Yep used it for wild blue yonder also

[@cubdukat]

I’m surprised they didn’t spring for Stagecraft…

[@lpsftw8572]

Hey, theyre using Unreal Engine as the program! (Think thats UE 5???) They use this kinda thing for other shows like The Mandalorian.

[@Mediaright]

Mandalorian was kinda the model for this tech being used in major productions.

[@koschei_4444]

wait what unreal ?

[@shemdellashemygd29]

Yep they used it for wild blue yonder aswell

[@BLMT-df4on]

same vfx used for the mandalorain series

[@GT3NB]

Looks so expensive.

[@mattryan7124]

Disney money. This is the exact same tech and methods used for the production of The Mandalorian (Star Wars series)

[@Craigy2818]

Their budget is huge, now. BBC, Sony and Disney money.

[@TomWHuxley]

much better than green screen (although it was all a bit too dark in the finished product)

[@SnakeArtist]

What? no more filming in quarries? (says the classic Who fan) 😏

[@parakart]

I want my wobbly sets 😂

[@chazo1367]

I’m sure they can use the Volume to imitate some quarries if that is what you are looking for ;)

[@RRR3000gaming]

They touched on this in Unleashed, the problem with quarries is that one rainy day can sink the entire shoot

[@SnakeArtist]

@@parakart Yes I miss the wobbly sets!

[@ericmadsen7470]

I may not like new Who, but I do like the technology behind the scenes when making of an episode. Technology has come a long way since the first episode of DW in 1963.

[@inquerion8867]

I would prefer more focus on good scripts and story rather than fancy special effects. Star Trek Discovery suffers from the same thing. I actually have more fun watching old Classic Trek and Star Trek TOS with their ancient "special effects" than new Sci Fi shows.

[@ericmadsen7470]

@@inquerion8867 Good scripts and a good story make a good episode. Agreed.

[@Vincornelis]

While it's use here was pretty good I am not a fan of this technology as it's pretty much always obvious and easy to spot. It's just old fashioned rear projection repackaged. Filming a 2 dimensional screen is always going to have limitations. There's no actual depth and it always leads to blurry unsharp background as keeping things in focus makes you see the screen itself. Green screen still has many advantages in that you edit directly onto the footage can give your cgi elements different depths within the frame and have them appear fully sharp.

[@shemdellashemygd29]

That's why they said they won't use it all the time.

[@Vincornelis]

@@shemdellashemygd29 yeah it's another film making tool but like all tools you gotta know how to use it. The problem isn't the technology per se it's misuse or overuse. The problem is this technology is very easy to overestinate and misuse due to it's extreme versatility but obvious drawbacks.

[@shemdellashemygd29]

@@Vincornelis it's their first time using it. Why complain?

[@whophd]

Why did the “hand mines” scene make Skaro look more realistic than this?

[@HappyAppart]

Gotta give it to Moffat for always requiring insane technology in the episodes he writes under RTD, even when it's all wasted on a story that takes place in a hole! 😂

[@Giovanni00831]

lol u are using Unreal Engine, could you need some help?

[@Renne308]

People have been using Unreal on tv and film production for more than a decade. LazyTown used UE3 for its backgrounds.

[@monicalee8763]

Who gives a crap about the technical aspects when the story lines suck so bad that the show is painful to watch?

[@inquerion8867]

This. It's the same in Star Trek Discovery. Fancy, expensive special effects but stories on the level of kid's fan fiction. Sadly it seems that new generation prefers fancy effects over good story.

[@katough]

the new dr who season is too disney.

[@TheMovieLoft]

Excellent great BTS, the mandolorian did this too it’s mental that those backgrounds are created in a game engine (unreal). However it’s a pity the scripts are weak and WOKE we get it for goodness sake, why can’t we just have rip roaring adventures like the olden days and not feel the need to have sexuality and box ticking brought into it. My family lost interest halfway thru ‘space babies’ and turned off, doctor who is in danger of dying a painful death - tragic

[@Ancients1]

How about bringing some good writers to Doctor Who? The actors are great but playing with terrible plots and stories.

[@tonymacintosh3744]

I would rather touch grass

[@djkatsuo]

Didn’t work for me. Felt just like a set. Not immersive at all.

[@boulevard14]

Ngl. It looks 1) So fake 2) So expensive

[@shemdellashemygd29]

Doesn't look fake.

[@boulevard14]

@shemdellashemygd29 Kinda does. The adjustments to the camera focus kinda help with that.

[@leewilliams5341]

Why are the crew still wearing mask?

[@HyperDaveUK]

cos it was filmed a long time ago...

[@ExplosiveCookie]

Most likely to do with, you know, the fumes from the smoke machine and the fire on set... Masks existed before covid...

[@Escape_Game]

@@HyperDaveUK A long time ago, ...As in January 2023

[@HyperDaveUK]

@@Escape_Game Two of the episodes were filmed in Late 2022... And there are are still people wearing facemasks randomly today. I saw someone in facemask in public yesterday... and yes I think its odd but whatever.

[@blackbirdatnight]

Because, believe it or not, they still might interact with people at home who are being treated for cancer or have no autoimmune systems, and they don't want to expose them to the myriad of respiratory illnesses out there.

[@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369]

Third

[@TheJazNetwork]

First

[@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369]

first reply

[@Someone_1994]

bot

[@sonic116]

Second

[@_olli_9485]

hello, scope! bye bye, soul...

[@Renne308]

I imagine some said this back in 2005 as well

[@_olli_9485]

@@Renne308Fair point by itself. Though what I was aiming at, and I kept it too short: In 05, Who was in the scope-by-soul-ratio of a Star Trek Enterprise, while the current, eh, show, is dipping around in Discovery-quality territory.

[@Nighthawk1066_]

Third I guess lmao

[@Nerdahedron]

I hate the way the use of a volume looks. It's always distracting and takes me out of the story. It also limits the way scenes can be filmed and scenes end up feeling flat and obviously faked. This one worked out decently, but if anyone from Disney reads this, it's terrible and tacky in general. Just stahp.

[@hada__02]

It’s a filmmaking tool like any other, used correctly it can look amazing, but it’s a matter of utilising it well that’s important

[@lelemon_two]

First off Disney does not produce Doctor Who. Second off I can agree that at times it can look tacky But if you want to call anyone out it should be bad wolf, The BBC and RTD.

[@DalekCaanOfSkaro]

To be fair, green screen has its faults aswell. It's just another device that has its pros and cons

[@BEE-oz7yd]

Well that's unlikely because Disney nothing to do with the production of the show!

[@spaceboomer564]

In this particular case they used it because they had little choice. The shoot was gonna take 20 days on a single outdoor setting. Moffat said they needed a controlled environment for it to work because filming outside would put them at the mercy of inconsistent weather and changing day light.

[@Roger-cb3fv]

Just stop the WOKE rubbish and return to good stories like the Tom Baker years... It's been horrid since

[@SlothsCinema]

You do realise ClassicWho was probably more woke for its own time than it is now

[@Iskelderon]

Sadly, right now it looks like an overused tool, the use of it always stands out in a quite jarring way.

[@fadeldennawi7133]

Ofcourse Disney had to bring the cheap look to doctor who as well. Now Doctor Who looks like an other disney + show thank you Iger.

[@chazo1367]

Cheap look? Have you SEEN classic and 2005 revival?

[@SuperHeroStoriesUnlimited]

This guy is just a disney hater just ignore him sure i dont like disney but you can shut up

[@RRR3000gaming]

Disney did not. Bad Wolf Studios make the show, they are Sony owned. They are not using Disney's StageCraft, they used the (back when they filmed) free-to-use Unreal Engine.

[@jujublue4426]

Are you really a whovian if cheap look is a problem to you ? Looking cheap is like the trademark of Doctor Who 😂

[@Scifiguy11th]

Ah thats why it looked butt ugly

[@livingcoffee_edits]

bros just hating to hate

[@marcrodriguez5007]

​@@livingcoffee_edits Why? He's Right.

[@livingcoffee_edits]

@@marcrodriguez5007 He wasn't, the effects have been really good so far

[@Renne308]

OPINIONS

[@jayluke8469]

It looked really cheap

[@Pete35vail]

Longtime Doctor Who watcher, will not watch again until not on Disney and drops the political correctness…..

[@InsightfulUndercurrents]

How can you complain about “PC” while also claiming to be a longtime Doctor Who watcher 😅😅😅😅😅

[@helgisaldo]

What do you mean by “political correctness”? Should Doctor Who abandon morality? Is Disney evil only because it doesn’t cater to your vision? Perhaps touching grass not a bad idea.

[@Drekal684]

So, just to make sure I understand this. You want the Doctor to stand there and start using explicitly racist, sexist, and generally intolerant language? 'Cuz that's what 'dropping political correctness' means.

[@helgisaldo]

@@Drekal684 An alien who “tells it like it is” lmao

[@HyperDaveUK]

You just want Jo Grant making cups of tea in A bikini yea? Whilst being told she's not smart enough to join in conversations with the middle class white men?

[@317tempest]

You killed Dr who and you blame us for it. Aaqaaaaaaaagghgaahhhaaakkpf 😆 loooool